The Soldier's Best Friend
by stillvintage55
Summary: The dangers never seem to end, and even Tully is starting to doubt if he will survive the war.
1. Chapter 1

The Soldier's Best Friend, chapter 1

Rat Patrol FanFiction by Stillvintage 55

CHAPTER 1

Tully Pettigrew was walking back from the base post office, carrying one package and half a dozen letters from his family, back home in Kentucky. He smiled to himself, grateful that his family sent him so many letters and packages of goodies. He knew that many other soldiers stationed at Ras Tanura were not so lucky. One of the letters was very likely written by one of his younger siblings, as the writing on the envelope was large and printed. He opened the letter, and saw that it was from his baby sister Gracie, a first grader. She wrote:

Dear Tully, I miss you so much. I lost my two front teeth and my other brothers make fun of

me. Mommy and Daddy say to ignore them. I have a new kitty Blossom. I like school most

of the time. I love you. You are always so nice to me I miss your stories and your funny jokes.

Be careful and please come home and write me back! Love Gracie.

Tully could see how fast Gracie was growing up. She had been not quite five when he had enlisted in the Army and left home. He was the oldest, and she was the youngest, but he had always enjoyed spending time with her, a very talkative and very bright little girl. He missed his whole family, and he wondered when (and _if_ ) he would see them again. Tully was not usually a pessimist, but the realities of war and his own battle experiences made him realize that no combat soldier's survival was a given. He loved his wife, Charley, with all his heart and soul, but

she could very easily end up a widow, he knew. Please, dear God, give us all a future, he prayed. He wanted to get on with his life and their life, but he knew the war would not be over any time soon. There were many battles yet to fight.

Four months before, the Allied military base at Ras Tanura had consisted of several wooden buildings hastily constructed with plywood, tar paper, and the occasional cinder block foundation. The enlisted soldiers slept in tents, the officers in simple dorms adjacent to their offices. There were outdoor showers, indoor and outdoor bathroom facilities, the mess hall and kitchen, a large garage for vehicle maintenance and parking, and rows of metal-roofed

buildings placed 200 yards away from the wooden buildings for storage of supplies, ammunition, and other flammable materials.

The Rat Patrol was enjoying a few days off following a series of their routine but potentially hazardous missions. Hitch and Tully walked back from the mess hall, having finished lunch, wisely leaving before their two sergeants found something for them to do instead of relaxing or joining the daily afternoon baseball game. They noticed that the base hospital was being enlarged, and what looked like a modest runway was also being constructed nearby. Truck convoys delivering supplies were now arriving once or twice a day, instead of once a week, and newly arrived draftee soldiers were also straining the camp's facilities. Tully had grumbled about having to wait in long lines now for meals, and it was tough to find a place to sit down.

He liked to eat lunch with his fellow Rats, but tried to have dinner with his wife Charley at their apartment, whenever he could.

Both Hitch and Tully were good athletes, and they were usually invited to join the daily pick-up baseball or basketball games. But, not today, because Captain Boggs had announced an

"All Personnel" meeting for 3:00 PM, to be held in the mess hall.

"Don't see how everyone's going to fit in there now," grumbled Hitch. "What do you think is going on, Tully?"

"My guess would be a build-up for a new offensive. Don't know for sure, but they aren't doing all this sudden building just to make the place look pretty. Most of what's being built could be dismantled and moved pretty easily, too. So, when we do finally win here in North Africa, we will probably be going to Sicily or Italy next."

Tully always seemed to know what was going on, thought Hitch, and he was usually right.

"You'd make a good reporter, you know that?" he grinned.

"Nah," Tully said, "I just like to make the logical connections."

The 3:00 PM meeting verified Tully's speculations – there was a big battle being planned, with the goal being to finally knock the Germans out of North Africa. Captain Boggs told the soldiers that the Germans were also ramping up their own efforts, and Allied scout planes reported more heavy artillery and halftracks being delivered to the Germans, along with Stuka and Focke-Wulf fighter planes. Captain Boggs also told the soldiers that two more surgeons had been assigned to the hospital to help with the anticipated casualties. "Well, at least there won't be waiting lines in pre-op, once they get us stabilized, " said Tully. Hitch started to laugh, but then realized that Tully was dead serious, and not joking.

Hitch looked at him carefully. "What's up with you? You're not usually so serious!"

Tully stopped walking, and quietly told Hitch, "I don't know why, but I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Why, Tully? You're usually pretty unflappable. Something wrong?" Hitch was perplexed that his calm, strong, and steady friend was sounding so uneasy about the battle to come.

Tully was one of the most skilled soldiers Hitch had ever known, and one of the most resilient.

"Hitch, we've all been wounded more than once, and we've looked death in the eye more than once. I just have this eerie feeling that I'm not going to make it the next time I get wounded. No basis for it, just a realization that I've been too lucky for too long. I should have bought it two or three times already, and somehow the surgeons put me back together, again, and again, and again. One of these times, they just might not be able to pull me through. That's just being realistic, Hitch. I hope we all make it through this war, but I've got my doubts if we'll all have happy endings. I hope I'm wrong, believe me."

"Have you talked to Troy or Moffitt about this?" Hitch asked.

"No, not really. I don't want to get them all worried about me; they've been through enough themselves. I'll be OK, what will be will be."


	2. Chapter 2

The Soldier's Best Friend 2

Mark Hitchcock was quite concerned about Tully's frame of mind. He decided to talk to Troy and Moffitt when Tully left to go home for dinner with his wife, Charley. Hitch told them about the conversation he and Tully had and about his own concerns for Tully, who had always been their stalwart anchor in past battles.

Troy sighed, "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. He's been through a lot. That time he was tortured so badly by the Germans was a very close call for him. I remember the surgeons telling us that they didn't think he was going to make it. Yet, somehow he did. He's a strong guy in a lot of ways, but he's newly married, and there's more at stake now than just him."

Moffitt chimed in, "He's a very caring and compassionate young man, and I think his marrying Charley has brought out even more of that part of his personality. Look, he's cut way back on his drinking and his bar fights, and the two of them are very much in love. He is still a highly skilled and ferociously effective soldier, in many ways a tornado in combat, but I think he's starting to try to deal with the reality that when we kill or are killed, many more people than just us are effected. Tully doesn't always give us much insight into his deeper thoughts and concerns, but as the saying goes, still waters run deep."

Troy added, "Moffitt and I will talk with him. It might do him some good to talk with that psychiatrist or the chaplain again. I'll encourage him to do that, but we all have to be realistic.

He's no fool, he knows that any or all of us being killed in combat is a real possibility. But, I'm pretty sure we've all had those thoughts about the risks we face. I don't want to die in this war, but if it has to happen to help win the war, I can live with that. Moffitt and I have a meeting with Captain Boggs tomorrow at 10 AM, most likely to give us our new mission in the upcoming battle."

Meanwhile, in their apartment, Tully and Charley were having a similar conversation. Tully had told Charley about the conversation he'd had with Hitch. He sat on the edge of their bed, and gently pulled Charley onto his lap.

"You know I love you to pieces, Charley, and I will do everything I can to stay alive, but who knows what will happen? Just promise me one thing, sweetheart – if I do get killed, you will go on with your life as soon as you can?"

Charley wrapped her arms around his neck. "I knew that there was a real possibility of you being killed or crippled during this war, but I married you any way. I love you, and I hope we can grow old and gray together, but if it's not to be, at least we've had each other right now.

No matter what happens, I am so happy I met you and I pray every day that we both survive the war. Charley looked into his eyes and gave him a lengthy kiss. She started to unbutton his shirt, undid his belt buckle, and unzipped his pants, then she removed her own clothes and pushed him down on the bed. "I love you, Tully, and whatever happens, I'll find a way to handle it, but you do what you have to do and be as careful as you possibly can. Right now, what I have to do is to make love with you, right here and right now! Off with your pants, my love!"

Tully smiled, "No argument there!"

The Soldier's Best Friend 2

Mark Hitchcock was quite concerned about Tully's frame of mind. He decided to talk to Troy and Moffitt when Tully left to go home for dinner with his wife, Charley. Hitch told them about the conversation he and Tully had and about his own concerns for Tully, who had always been their stalwart anchor in past battles.

Troy sighed, "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. He's been through a lot. That time he was tortured so badly by the Germans was a very close call for him. I remember the surgeons telling us that they didn't think he was going to make it. Yet, somehow he did. He's a strong guy in a lot of ways, but he's newly married, and there's more at stake now than just him."

Moffitt chimed in, "He's a very caring and compassionate young man, and I think his marrying Charley has brought out even more of that part of his personality. Look, he's cut way back on his drinking and his bar fights, and the two of them are very much in love. He is still a highly skilled and ferociously effective soldier, in many ways a tornado in combat, but I think he's starting to try to deal with the reality that when we kill or are killed, many more people than just us are effected. Tully doesn't always give us much insight into his deeper thoughts and concerns, but as the saying goes, still waters run deep."

Troy added, "Moffitt and I will talk with him. It might do him some good to talk with that psychiatrist or the chaplain again. I'll encourage him to do that, but we all have to be realistic.

He's no fool, he knows that any or all of us being killed in combat is a real possibility. But, I'm pretty sure we've all had those thoughts about the risks we face. I don't want to die in this war, but if it has to happen to help win the war, I can live with that. Moffitt and I have a meeting with Captain Boggs tomorrow at 10 AM, most likely to give us our new mission in the upcoming battle."

Meanwhile, in their apartment, Tully and Charley were having a similar conversation. Tully had told Charley about the conversation he'd had with Hitch. He sat on the edge of their bed, and gently pulled Charley onto his lap.

"You know I love you to pieces, Charley, and I will do everything I can to stay alive, but who knows what will happen? Just promise me one thing, sweetheart – if I do get killed, you will go on with your life as soon as you can?"

Charley wrapped her arms around his neck. "I knew that there was a real possibility of you being killed or crippled during this war, but I married you any way. I love you, and I hope we can grow old and gray together, but if it's not to be, at least we've had each other right now.

No matter what happens, I am so happy I met you and I pray every day that we both survive the war. Charley looked into his eyes and gave him a lengthy kiss. She started to unbutton his shirt, undid his belt buckle, and unzipped his pants, then she removed her own clothes and pushed him down on the bed. "I love you, Tully, and whatever happens, I'll find a way to handle it, but you do what you have to do and be as careful as you possibly can. Right now, what I have to do is to make love with you, right here and right now! Off with your pants, my love!"

Tully smiled, "No argument there!"


	3. Chapter 3

"The Soldier's Best Friend, 3"

Troy and Moffitt were having their scheduled meeting with Captain Boggs, but much to their surprise, the battalion surgeons, Dr. Morehead and Dr. Knox were also present. As they all sat down at the conference table, Dr. Morehead asked, "Hey, how's our miracle boy doing, Private Pettigrew, the guy tortured so badly by the Germans? He had so many serious injuries and had lost so much blood, we could barely get a measurable blood pressure reading on him when he first came in. It took six units of blood to get him stable enough to bring into surgery, and three more units during the surgery to keep him going. I was amazed that he pulled through."

Troy answered, "Tully's doing fine physically. He's a survivor. I just wish he was doing as well mentally."

Captain Boggs looked surprised. "What do you mean, Troy? I've seen him around and he looks fine! I saw him hit a towering home run in the baseball game the other day. The ball was still soaring upward when it cleared the fence!"

Moffitt chimed in, "He's been rather down lately. He told Hitchcock that he didn't believe he would survive this battle. He's not usually superstitious, but we are a bit worried about him. With all he's been through physically in less than a year, I really can't blame him for feeling that way. I'm even more amazed that he talked to Hitch about it. After all, he's gone through many battles, had many serious injuries, and also managed to fall in love and get married while all that was going on."

Captain Boggs looked at both Troy and Moffitt. "Why don't we reconvene this meeting later this afternoon? I'd like to invite Major Wiseman, the psychiatrist, and Rev. Holloway to attend; I know both of them spent quite a bit of time with Private Pettigrew during his recovery."

Troy nodded. "Tully also had to shoot that American scientist imprisoned by the Germans. That was the mission, and he agreed to be the sniper, but he was physically ill afterward and couldn't eat or sleep. He told me that the scientist was looking right at him when he pulled the trigger. Private Pettigrew is an amazingly accurate marksman, easily the best of the four of us, but it's just one more horrifying experience for him, even though he said himself it had to be done. He's a tough guy, but even tough guys have their breaking points."

Captain Boggs suggested, "Well, why don't we invite Private Pettigrew, too." I may be able to come up with a workable mission that works for all of us."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Soldier's Best Friend, 4**

Captain Boggs called Major Wiseman and Chaplain Holloway after Troy and Moffitt left his office. "Good afternoon, Major Wiseman. I wonder if you and Chaplain Holloway might have a couple of hours available this afternoon to meet with me." (Captain Boggs was very aware that both Wiseman and Holloway were Majors, and outranked him, so he was being very polite.)

"Do you remember Private Pettigrew? He's one of the Rat Patrol guys, the one who was so badly tortured by the Nazis a few months ago? He's doing okay physically, but his fellow Rats are concerned about him mentally, as he told Private Hitchcock that he had an eerie feeling that he wasn't going to survive this next battle. Sergeants Troy and Moffitt visited with me this morning to express their concern about him, too," said Captain Boggs.

Chaplain Holloway said, "I had the pleasure of marrying Tully and Charley a month or so before that incident happened. He seemed fine, but marrying a woman you love does tend to cheer a guy up! From what I've seen, he and Charley seem to be very happy, giving that they're both working in an active combat zone."

"Not to mention Tully plays poker quite well – he skunked all three of us!" said Major Wiseman. "But, seriously, Private Pettigrew is very fortunate to be alive after being tortured so badly. It's not unusual for someone who survives a horrible trauma to still carry a feeling that the next time, he won't be so lucky, and he had been wounded several times before that, too."

"Would you gentlemen be available to meet with his sergeants and him this afternoon?" asked Captain Boggs.

"I can't speak for Chaplain Holloway, but I strongly feel that the sergeants should not attend that meeting. Private Pettigrew needs to be honest about his mental state at present, and he will likely soften his own self-appraisal if they are also at the meeting. They need him; the four men depend on one another, and, from what the others have told me, Private Pettigrew is both very skilled as a soldier and very protective of them at times." said Wiseman.

"I agree with Major Wiseman. The meeting should be just the three of us, and Tully. It might not be a bad idea to include his wife, Charley, too, said Holloway.

Captain Boggs sighed, "Well, if Troy and Moffitt aren't going to attend, we'd better have that meeting ASAP, so Troy can get a replacement for Pettigrew, if he is too mentally unstable to fight. We need to meet before supper, but I know his wife is out on a courier mission and won't be back for two more days. Does 4 o'clock later this afternoon work for you both?"

The meeting at 4 PM took place in Tully and Charley's apartment, at Tully's request. The apartment was neat and clean, and Tully had soft drinks and cookies from home available for all. He saluted the two majors and Captain Boggs as they came in, then invited them to sit down.

Tully started the conversation, "I'm a little surprised that everyone's so worried about me, and it's my guess that Hitch had a talk with Troy and Moffitt about a conversation he and I had the other day."

Captain Boggs verified this, but tried to make it very clear to Tully that the other members of the Rat Patrol were concerned about him, as Tully had told Hitch that he suspected he might not survive the next big battle. "We all recognize that you have been through a lot in this past year, and what the issue comes down to is whether you feel mentally and physically able to do your job in this battle."

"No offense, Captain Boggs, but no one has told me yet what my job as part of the Rat Patrol is going to be in this battle. I'll be honest with all of you: I did tell Hitch that I just had an eerie feeling that I am not going to survive this battle. I don't know why, really, because I've been part of the Rat Patrol for as long as I've been here in Ras Tanura. I know that what we do is dangerous. I know that any one of us or all of us could be killed during this war.

Sometimes, the need to go after pure evil means that many good people have to die along the way. But, this is one of those times in history when it has to be done. I sure as hell hope I get through all this, and I am willing to do my duty to God and country by continuing to fight in it until it's over. Then, I'm hoping to go back home with Charley and start our lives in peace. Once I find out from Troy and Moffitt what I'm going to be doing in this battle besides driving a jeep, I'll just go ahead and do it as best I can, and that will settle me right down, sirs. It's the waiting and the unknown that gets me worked up sometimes, but when we finally get rolling on this battle, I'll be okay."

Captain Boggs smiled, and the two Majors seemed relaxed now. Boggs said to them, "I'm satisfied that Private Pettigrew will function very well in this next battle. He's realistic, and I think handling the pre-battle stress better than I am!"

Major Wiseman agreed, smiling. "The only thing we need to do now is schedule a matchstick poker game rematch after the battle. And Private, my money is on you winning, just as you did by making it through the Nazi torture, and coming back to fight them another day. My blessings to you, Tully, and to your lovely bride, but let's ask our buddy Chaplain Holloway to close this meeting with a prayer for all of us."

Chaplain Holloway smiled, and said "It's very appropriate to use the verses from Psalm 23, the one that Tully told us he was praying to himself while he was being so viciously tortured. "Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff will comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen."

THE END – the battle itself will be a separate story.


End file.
